


All Bolts and Magic

by happymaybe



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: BAMF Arthur, Eames is whipped, Established Relationship, M/M, Manipulative!Arthur, Yusuf POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:24:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2757758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happymaybe/pseuds/happymaybe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Arthur Pindale (Schakowsky in real life), Pointman Extraordinaire, fell from the 15th floor and may or may not be in a coma; Or the one where Yusuf plays an integral part of the resolution of a lovers' spat unknowingly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Bolts and Magic

Yusuf is doing that day’s crossword puzzle while sitting at a hospital bedside because Mark, Arthur’s younger brother, is out in the lobby fighting with his estranged-but-still-current fiancée on the phone and Ariande is still back at the site assessing the damage and Yusuf can be a decent person who stays at a hospital bedside of an injured acquaintance when he’s bored and at the mercy of Ariadne’s blackmail.  
  
Aridane called Arthur for a favor two weeks ago because it turns out Ariadne has full respect and belief in Arthur’s architecture diploma from Cornwell that hangs in his flat in Seattle and the achievements in his few years working as a young aspiring contractual architect for a real estate developer firm during his early twenties – way before he had his epiphany regarding his true life mission to be part of the Army to kill with his bare hands and brilliant mind alone.  
  
Arthur was doing an ocular inspection of Ariadne’s legitimate architecture gig when they all realized that the makeshift lift he was in had some loose screws and very,  _very_  rusty pulleys.  
  
Arthur is not in a critical condition. This may be the real world but Arthur is Arthur and he is still the same motherfucker who can somersault mid-air from the 15th fucking floor and somehow end up with just a  _sprained ankle_.  
  
Partly because of Ariadne’s charming attempts to threaten Yusuf’s manhood if he dares leave Arthur alone – much to Arthur’s chagrin (“Don’t channel your frustrated motherly instinct on me.”) – Yusuf is also tagging along because when Arthur Pindale (Schakowsky in real life), – Pointman Rookie of the Year ’01, Best Reconnaissance of an individual from 2003-2004 in the now-defunct Annual Global Mind Theft Performance Awards – fell from the 15th floor not because of a dangerous illegal gig like a bank heist or because they’re running from a very pissed off drug cartel leader, but because of something humanely mundane like an ocular inspection of a construction site and manage to get a sprained ankle out of it, one must see to believe.  
  
When he arrived at the emergency room, Yusuf was expecting to find Eames flirting with every nurse and doctor in a fifty-meter radius, or maybe even shouting bloody murder to everyone to attend to Arthur, but the man is nowhere to be found.  
  
Apparently, Eames and Arthur haven’t spoken in five months.  
  
When they’re out smoking in the back lot while Arthur comments condescendingly about the nurse who’s attending to him, Mark – who is under the impression that Arthur is some big shot architect, ex-military prodigy and Eames a conman and art thief (“No point in denying it, love. I’m quite proud of my livelihood.”) – told Yusuf that it’s actually their biggest fight in six years,  _wink-wink_.  
  
Which translates to: their biggest fight since their drunken civil union six years ago.  
  
***  
  
Yusuf was writing colonoscopy, 4 Across when his phone rings. He easily presses the record call button as he answers it.  
  
“How is he?” Eames asks.  
  
“Hello too, Eames,” Yusuf greets.  
  
“ _Yusuf_ ,” Eames says, quite urgently.  
  
Arthur is in the bathroom and Yusuf can hear him humming something by Earth, Wind and Fire.  
  
“He’s in the ICU,” he says, voice now solemn and grave.  
  
He hears Eames curse. “How bad is it?”  
  
Arthur was mandated by the doctors to stay for the night because they still want to run some test. They cannot for the life of them understand why or how a man had survived falling from the 15th floor with just a sprained ankle. And they have some serious suspicions that the reason why Arthur meticulously orders his attending physician and anesthesiologist on the proper way on how they should do  _their_  job is in fact an undiagnosed case of OCD. (“Probably if you consider being a fucking know-it-all a mental illness,” Mark said in all earnest when he finally stopped laughing after the doctor told them.)  
  
“Eames,” Yusuf starts, “he fell from the 15th floor.” Yusuf scratches his chin.  _Hmmm_. Illuminati, 32 Down.  
  
Eames doesn’t say anything. Perhaps, he too knows the true capabilities of Arthur Pindale (Schakowsky in real life).  
  
“It was a very bad fall,” Yusuf adds.  
  
“ _Christ._ ” Eames curses again. “I – is anyone else there?”  
  
“Mark is here but he’s just out at the moment. I think he’s trying to reach their mother.” Yusuf knows that Arthur’s mother is a very busy and powerful congresswoman and shall only be called when her well-loved and cared for children are in grave danger such as severed limbs, at the mercy of murderous fiancées or impending bankruptcy.  
  
“Fuck.”  
  
“Yes.” Yusuf nods even if Eames can’t see him.  _Ahh!_  There! Rhodesia, 16 Across. Yusuf writes it down happily.  
  
“How long can you stay there?”  
  
Yusuf thinks of the three-weeks of laundry and dirty plates he left in his flat in Los Angeles and the nice guest room in Ariadne’s condo here. Yusuf twirls his pen.  
  
“I have three jobs lined up. I’ll only be here until Ariadne comes back. I have a flight in three hours. I’m very sorry.”  
  
“Okay.” Eames says. “I’m on my way now – I bailed on Ruiz when I got the word about Arthur. Ariadne called me and I bailed on Ru –  _fuck_. Ruiz is gonna have my head for this.” Yusuf can hear the rush of people in Eames’ background. He’s probably in an airport.  
  
“I’m calling in favors. I’m hoping to catch a private plane tonight. I’m in Lima. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll be there before – it’s morning there. Christ. What time is it anyway? Fuck.” He stops again. “Is he looking for me?” Eames asks and he sounds so small and almost pitiful and fucking hell, this moment is  _glorious_.  
  
Yusuf debates with himself for a moment. “He – ” he stutters for good measure, “he hasn’t been conscious since the fall, Eames.”  
  
But Arthur did mention Eames once. (“Don’t call that bastard, Ariadne.”)  
  
Yusuf hears a very faint whimper from the other line. He almost feels bad. Almost. “He’s strong, Eames. You know him. He can survive this.” he says, voice equally quiet and tentative, as he rests his feet on the bedside table and crosses his ankles. He stops himself from yawning.  
  
“It’s just – this is killing me. It was a very stupid fight. I – ” Eames pauses and he breathes deep. “I’m sorry, Yusuf. I – I’ll be there in few hours. Please keep an eye on him. Is he – is he in coma?”  
  
“Yeah. I think.”  
  
There is a brief silence. “Those in a coma can still hear things around them,” Eames says and there’s that hitch in his voice when he said coma. “Please –I’m sorry, mate – please tell him I’m coming home and I’m a stupid bastard and I love him, yeah?” He says in a rush, almost breathless. “I’m sorry to put you up to this crap. He’s all I got.” Eames’ voice is so small and  _shy_.  
  
Yusuf is quite thankful for whoever thought of a record call option in mobile phones. “Sure, man. No problem.”  
  
Eames hangs up just when Arthur strolls out of the bathroom with an almost undetectable limp.  
  
“So Eames called,” Yusuf starts as he pockets his phone. “He says he’s coming home and he’s a stupid bastard and he loves you.”  
  
Yusuf is expecting the other to snort at that or maybe throw a hissy fit or maybe ignore it, but he was not expecting Arthur smiling smugly like he just won the pot money at poker night.  
  
Yusuf narrows his eyes at Arthur as the other shuffles around the room. Arthur gingerly takes his Blackberry from the ziplock bag of the things found with him when he fell. Inside the ziplock are also his wallet, some keys, a screwdriver and two bolts.  
  
“You  _asshole_ ,” Yusuf says slowly.  
  
With that Arthur smiles broadly, all white teeth and soft dimples and pure, unadulterated, unmistakable evil glints in his eyes.  
  
“You manipulative son of a bitch,” Yusuf declares loudly, laughing. “The  _poor_  guy.” Yusuf wipes his tears. “I think he was seriously about to cry!”  
  
Arthur hums as he fixes his hair in front of the mirror. “To be honest, this sprained ankle is an unexpected turn of events,” Arthur says quietly as he settles back under the covers. “I was going for a bad fall and ‘amnesia.’ ” He says it with actual air quotes.  
  
Yusuf shakes his head unbelieving as he leans back to his chair. “You evil bastard,” he says with a short laugh because sweet mother of Jesus, both of them are seriously demented.  
  
“Uh huh.” Arthur hums again, closing his eyes with a not quite dimpled smile.

**Author's Note:**

> migrating fics from LJ, one fluffy fic at a time.


End file.
